Vaporization apparatus



March 13, 1962 L. RUELLE ET AL VAPORIZATION APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 28, 1958 INVENTORS Louis Ruel'Le d. Franc ois Maihleu W ATTORNEY March 13, 1962 RUELLE ET AL 3,025,043

VAPORIZATION APPARATUS Filed April 28, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FisZ on no INVENTORS Louis Rueue d Francgois Mathieu.

BY W

ATTORNEY March 13, 1962 E L ET Al.

VAPORIZATION APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 28, 1958 FisA INVENTORS e11 rancois Mafiueu.

Louis Ru d F BY T ATTORNEY March 13, 1962 L. RUELLE ET AL VAPORIZATION APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 28, 1958 OOOOOOO OOOOOOO OOOOOOO OOOOOOO 0000000 0000600 OOOOOOO 0000000 000000 \OOOOOO@ OOOOOOO OOOOOOO OOOOOOO OOOOOOO OOOOOOO w 8H H INVENTORS Louis Rueue dFr'anc zois Maihieu. BY WW 7 ATTORNEY 3,@Z5,043 Patented Mar. 13, 1962 34,25,043 VAPORIZATION APPARATUS Louis Ruelle and Francois Mathieu, Grenoble, France,

assignors to Pechiney, Compagnie de Produits Chimiques et Elcctrometallurgiques, Paris, France, a corporation of France Filed Apr. 28, 1958, Ser. No. 731,505 Claims priority, application France May 3, 1957 6 Claims. (Cl. 263-30) The present invention which is based on the results of applicants researches, relates to a vaporization apparatus for high temperature treatment of solid substances, the thermal decomposition of which causes liberation of gases or vapors and sometimes, leaves behind a solid residue.

In order that such an apparatus fulfill industrial requirements, it should be able to run continuously and, at the same time, produce a considerable hourly yield. To obtain these ends, it is necessary that the vaporizing be as large as possible and that it be uniformly heated. These requirements present special difficulties when solid substances are to be treated, which must circulate through the furnace and, hence, must be comminuted into fragments of small dimensions. Under these circumstances, care must be taken to avoid entrainment of particles of small dimensions in the gaseous current.

The apparatus which is the object of the present invention enables these difiiculties to be overcome. It consists of one or more units each comprising a sealed axial sleeve containing the heating device which is thus completely separated from the material to be treated, as well as from its decomposition products.

A series of parallel plates, or of superposed tubular elements forming a honeycomb structure, are placed on both sides of and close to the heating sleeve, leaving an empty gap i.e. space between themselves and the sleeve, into which can disengage the gases and vapors resulting from the decomposition or distillation of the solid substance. The inclination of the plates, or the length of the tubular elements, are selected in accordance with the angle of repose of the particulate material to be treated so as to prevent it from sliding (dropping) down into the gap. The material thus retained by the plates or tubes ofiers an area of large dimensions to heat radiations. and this area is automatically supplied with fresh material as soon as preceding fragments are vaporized or as the result of the downward flow of the solid material.

Vapors evolved at the free surface of the charge are removed without having to pass through the charge itself. In actual operation, entrainment of powdered solid material has not been observed.

The vaporizing apparatus can be composed of several of these units all connected to the same receiver for the gases and vapors. The whole apparatus is surrounded wi h suitable heat insulation.

There will now be described an embodiment of the invention which has given excellent results in actual practice, the invention being, however, in no way limited to this embodiment and includes all modifications comprebending the above described features.

FIGURE 1 is a view partly in elevation, and partly in section, taken along line 11 of FIGURE 3, of a vaporization apparatus with its charging device and heat insulating envelope.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same apparatus, along line 2-2 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal section along line 33 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a detail in vertical section of an embodiment of the invention employing two Vaporizers connected to the same gas and vapor collector or receiver.

. space between the wall FIGURE 5 is a horizontal section taken along line 55 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to FIGURE 1, but with the plates replaced by short, tubular, horizontally disposed elements which are stacked one above the other.

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view substantially along line 7- 7 of FIGURE 6 and showing the tubular stack of ele- In the several figures, the same reference numerals designate the same or analogous parts.

In FIGURE 1, 1 is a parallelepipedal casing constructed of a material suitable for the working temperature and the nature of the substance being treated; this material will, for example, be graphite in the case of high temperature operations.

This casing 1 encloses two series of rectangular plates 2 and 2 whose spacing and inclination are dependent upon the angle of repose (talus deboulernent, sliding angle) of the substance being treated. A deflector 4 guides the charge of the substance to be treated into the free of the casing 1 and the (venetian) shutters formed by the stack of plates 2 and 2. Beneath the deflector and parallel to the plates, there is disposed a sealed sleeve 5 containing the heating elements 6. The vaporizer proper is placed inside a sealed (tight) housing 8 thus permitting on the one hand, to control (condition) the atmosphere and, if required, elfect the treatment under reduced pressure and, on the other hand, to maintain a refractory, heat insulating packing 9 about the casing 1.

The product to be treated is introduced through a lock chamber into the hopper furnace. Vapors escape into the gaps 11 and 11' between the heating device and the free edges of the plates which hold the product and reach a suitable condenser (not shown) by means of duct 12 (FIG. 2 and 3). The residue, eventually left by the treatment, is drawn off by known means (not shown) at the bottom 13 of the vaporizer, either continuously or intermittently according to the bulk of the residue.

As will be observed in FIGURE 2, the sleeve 5 which contains the heating elements, precludes the possibility of the vaporized for the current.

Referring to FIGURE 3, it will be seen that gases and vapors escaping into the gaps 11 and 11', formed between the plates 2 and 2 and sleeve 5, enter duct 12 through openings 14.

FIGURE 5 shows that it is possible to dispose additional Vaporizers connected to the same duct 12, at the sides of the two which are illustrated. It is also possible to place other vaporizer units opposite those shown, and thus build up a furnace for producing large yields.

FIGURE 6 illustrates another embodiment of the vaporizing apparatus of the invention. In this modification, the apparatus is similar to that shown in FIGURE 1 except that the plates 2, 2 are here replaced by short, tubular, horizontally disposed elements 102, 102 which are stacked one above the other, forming a honeycomb structure.

The heating elements shown at 6 are electric resistors. Although the invention is not limited to the use of such heating means, they are used most frequently for obtain ing high temperatures.

The proposed arrangement of the vaporizer enables the temperature of the top zone to be raised to a different value than the temperature of the middle or bottom zone; it is merely necessary to provide adequate heating elements with these ends in view. It is possible, in this way, to treat either heterogenous solid substances the components of which are successively subjected to ditferent temperatures, or a homogeneous solid material by using a procedure involving successive stages heated to different temperatures.

10 which is mounted upon the.

product condensing on the cooled inlets 7 By disposing the product to be vaporized around the radiating sleeve containing the heating elements, it is possible to intercept almost the entire heat radiated. A high energy efficiency is thus obtained.

The vaporizing device which is the object of the invention can be widely used for many purposes, for example, to produce metals by the thermal decomposition of their carbides or nitrides in a vacuum.

We claim:

1. Vaporization apparatus for particulate material comprising, in combination: a casing; an inlet for the particulate material to betreated at the upper end of the casing, and an outlet for residues at the lower end thereof; a sealed sleeve containing heating means disposed axially within said casing and spaced from the wall thereof; a plurality of elements forming passages disposed in the space between the casing and the heating means, the ends of said elements being spaced from the casing and the heating means respectively, thereby providing in the casing a path for the particulate material between said passages and casing, and a vapor disengagement space between said passages and heating means whereby vapors, liberated from the heated particulate material passing through the casing, flow through the passages to the vapor disengagement space without passing through the particulate material and are substantially free of entrained material; and an outlet duct for the vapors connected to the vapor disengagement space.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the elements are constituted of parallel disposed plates spaced and inclined at an angle correlated to the angle of repose of the particulate material, whereby the sliding of the material into the vapor disengagement space is precluded.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the elements are constituted of vertically stacked and horizontally axially disposed tubular ducts, whereby said ducts eX- tend in a direction substantially normal to the path of the particulate material, said ducts being of a length and diameter correlated to the angle of repose of the particulate material, whereby the sliding of the material into the vapor disengagement space is precluded.

4, An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the casing is enclosed in a refractory packing.

5. Vaporization apparatus for particulate material comprising, in combination: a casing; an inlet for the particulate material to be treated at the upper end of the casing,

and an outlet for residues at the lower end thereof; a plurality of sealed sleeves each containing heating means disposed within said casing and spaced from the wall thereof and from each other; a plurality of elements forming passages disposed in the space between the casing and the heating means, and in the space between the heating means, the ends of said elements being spaced from the wall of the casing and the heating means respectively, and thereby providing in the casing paths for the particulate material between said passages and casing and between said heating means, and vapor disengagement spaces between said passages and heating means, whereby vapors liberated from the heated particulate material passing through the casing, flow through the passages to the vapor disengagement spaces without passing through the particulate material and are substantially free of entrained material; and an outlet duct for the vapors connected to the vapor disengagement spaces.

6. Vaporization apparatus for particulate material comprising, in combination: a casing; an inlet for the particulate material to be treated at the upper end of the casing, and an outlet for residues at the lower end thereof; a sealed sleeve containing heating means disposed within said casing; a plurality of elements forming passages disposed about the heating means, the ends of said elements being spaced from the casing and the heating means respectively, and thereby providing in the casing a path for the particulate material between said passages and casing, and a vapor disengagement space between said passages and heating means whereby vapors, liberated from the heated particulate material passing through the casing, flow through the passages to the vapor disengagement space without passing through the particulate material and are substantially free of entrained material; and an outlet duct for the vapors connected to the vapor disengagement space.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 144,710 Soper Nov. 18, 1873 249,688 Stormer Nov. 15, 1881 618,508 Hess Ian. 31, 1899 1,181,121 Duncan May 2, 1916 1,787,280 Nagel Dec. 30, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,025,043 March 13 1962.

Louis Ruelle et al.

at error appears in the above numbered pat- It is hereby certified th hat the said Letters Patent should read as ant requiring correction and t corrected below.

Column 1, line 19, after "vaporizing" insert surface Signed and sealed this 26th day of June 1962.

SEAL) ERNEST w. SWIDER DAVID LADD Commissioner of Patents testing Officer 

